Hello Friends 👋
This week we have the pleasure of chatting with the exceptional Dr. James Lemonds from Riley Children's hospital. Dr. Lemons' work in neonatology has impacted thousand of babies and families around the globe. His kindness shined throughout the episode and it was a true honor to host such an amazing human being on our show. You will definitely enjoy this episode full of positivity. Enjoy!
Bio: Jim is the Emeritus Hugh McK. Landon Professor of Pediatrics and past Director of the Section of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine for 22 years.  He attended Princeton U. as an undergraduate, then medical school at Northwestern U, residency at the U. of Michigan, and fellowship at U. of Colorado.  He has served in numerous leadership positions nationally and internationally, and was Chair of the Perinatal Section for AAP, Chair of the Committee on Fetus and Newborn, and Principal Investigator for the NICHD Neonatal Research Network for 20 years.  He has been funded for his research by the NIH for over 35 years, and has published over 300 scientific manuscripts and edited several books.  The Newborn Intensive Care program at IUSM is one of the largest in the country, providing state-of-the-art care for ~10,000 newborn infants and their families each year.  Jim is particularly proud of the Family Support Program, which is run by six former parents of critically ill newborns, and who are now employed full time at Riley Children’s Hospital and the Indiana U. Medical Center to support families in the NICU.  With 40 MD neonatologists and 12 PhD faculty, the neonatology research programs in stem cell biology, fetal and neonatal metabolism, clinical and translational research, and international health care are recognized internationally. Jim and his wife, Pam, have been to Kenya over 30 times (at least annually since 1994), and raised $3 million to build the Riley Mother and Baby Hospital of Kenya in Eldoret, Kenya, where they now deliver ~20,000 babies annually and have a 140 bed newborn intensive care unit – all directed by Kenyan physicians and staff.  Jim works on social justice issues locally and globally, including human trafficking, mental illness and addiction, orphans and vulnerable children, deaf and hearing-impaired children, poverty, environmental justice, and interfaith cooperation.  He and Pam have three adult children – Ken, Kevin and Meghan, and two grandsons, Nick (11) and Ben (8).